Tonneau trunk

ABSTRACT

A trunk for a bed of a truck is disclosed wherein the trunk provides an isolated enclosed space in an area of the truck bed. The trunk is configurable into different configurations and traversable between front and back positions in order to make best use of the bed of the truck. Moreover, the trunk may be configured and traversed easily so that one without great strength may still manipulate the trunk to make full use of the truck bed.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application relates to the U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/656,476, filed on Mar. 12, 2015, and now U.S. Pat. No. 9,079,548, theentire contents of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference.

STATEMENT RE: FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH/DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND

The various embodiments and aspects described herein relate to a trunkfor a bed of a truck.

Trucks are typically used to haul material in its bed area from onelocation to another. However, truck beds have become accessorized sothat the truck bed can be used for a variety of uses and more thanmerely hauling material. By way of example and not limitation, truckbeds can be retrofitted with toolboxes, tonneau covers, shells and otheraccessories that bring additional functionality to truck beds.Unfortunately, these solutions are fixed in that once installed, theuser typically does not remove these accessories. Also, if the userneeded to remove these accessories from the truck bed, an extendedperiod of time and great strength would be required in order toreconfigure the truck bed between different accessories.

Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an improved accessory forbringing additional functionality to a truck bed.

BRIEF SUMMARY

A trunk for a bed of a trunk is disclosed herein. The trunk may havevarious configurations including but not limited to a first embodimentwherein the trunk is traversable between front and back positions, asecond embodiment wherein the trunk is telescoping in addition to beingtraversable between the front and back positions and a third embodimentwherein the trunk is collapsible in addition to being traversablebetween the front and back positions. The trunk may provide an isolatedenclosed area so that a user may place objects in the trunk, isolatedfrom soiled surfaces of the truck bed. The trunk may also be traversedbetween front and back positions by someone without great strength andalso configured so that the user may use the full length of the bed ofthe truck.

A fourth embodiment involves the trunk that is used in combination witha tonneau cover. The trunk of the fourth embodiment may be traversedbetween front and back positions as well as have partitions that may berepositioned to enlarge or reduce the size of a trunk space of thefourth embodiment of the trunk.

More particularly, a trunk for a bed of a truck is disclosed. The trunkmay comprise an enclosure, left and right rails and a back cover. Theenclosure may have a top traversable between a lowered closed positionand a raised opened position. The left and right rails may be attachedto left and right sidewalls of the truck bed and operative to secure theenclosure at a first position wherein a tailgate of the truck bed formsa back wall of the enclosure when the tailgate is in an up position anda second position adjacent to a front wall of the truck bed. The backcover may be attached to a back side of the enclosure when the enclosureis traversed to the second position to form the back wall of theenclosure.

The trunk may further comprise support arms that may be pivotallyattached to the left and right sidewalls of the enclosure and the topcover for holding the top cover in the raised open position. The supportarms may be pivotally attached to the left and right rails or the leftand right sidewalls of the enclosure.

The enclosure may have a front wall attached to the left and rightsidewalls and a bottom wall attached to the front wall and the left andright sidewalls. The back cover may be attached to an underside of thetop cover when the enclosure is traversed to the first position andattached to the left and right sidewalls and bottom wall when theenclosure is traversed to the second position.

The back cover may form the back wall. The front wall and the left andright sidewalls may have a stepped configuration to accommodate wheelwells of the truck bed so that the enclosure is traversable between thefirst and second positions by sliding the enclosure horizontally betweenthe first and second positions.

The front wall may be pivoted with respect to the top cover. The bottomwall may be pivoted to the front wall. The front and bottom walls may bepivoted to a position under the top cover and parallel thereto fortraversing the enclosure between the first and second positions.

The left and right sidewalls and the front wall may have upper and lowerhalves that telescope with respect to each other between an up positionand a down position. The enclosure may slide horizontally between thefirst and second positions on the truck bed when the lower half is inthe up position.

A vertical height of the back cover may be about equal to a verticalheight of the left and right sidewalls when the left and right sidewallsare in the up position.

The left and right rails may have a first part of a male/femaleconnection extending along a length of the rails. The left and rightsidewalls of the enclosure may have a second part of the male/femaleconnection wherein the second part slides against the first part as theenclosure is traversed between the first and second positions. Themale/female connection may have a detent mechanism to maintain theenclosure in the first or second positions.

The trunk may further comprise a locking mechanism that traverses leftand right bars under the left and right rails to prevent the top coverfrom inadvertently traversing to the raised open position.

The trunk may further comprise a protective liner. The protective linermay have a plurality of reliefs on a front wall and left and rightsidewalls of the protective liner to allow a user to compress theprotective liner during insertion or removal of the protective linerfrom within the enclosure.

In another aspect, a storage compartment for a bed of a truckconfigurable into two or more positions for providing a versatilestorage solution is disclosed. The system may comprise a left rail, aright rail, a top cover and a plurality of panels. The left rail may besecured to a left sidewall of the truck bed. The right rail may besecured to a right sidewall of the truck bed. The top cover may bepivotally attached to the left and right rails at either a firstposition or a second position. The first position may be closer to atailgate of the truck bed compared to the second position. The pluralityof panels may be deployed so as to define a storage volume with eitherthe tailgate when the top cover is in the first position or with a backwall when the top cover is in the second position and the sidewalls ofthe truck bed.

The top cover may have a latching mechanism traversable between a lockedposition and an opened position. In the locked position, locking barsextend laterally outward so that opposed distal end portions of thelatching mechanism are disposed under lips of the left and rightsidewalls of the truck bed or the left and right rails.

In a different aspect, a method of reconfiguring a trunk attached to abed of a truck is disclosed. The method may comprise the steps ofunlocking the trunk so that the trunk is operative to be horizontallyslid to first or second positions, a tailgate of the truck bed forming apart of an enclosed space of the trunk when the trunk is in the firstposition, the trunk being closer to a cab of the truck when the trunk isin the second position; sliding the trunk to the second position;attaching a back wall of the trunk to form the enclosed space; lockingthe trunk to the second position; and pivoting a cover of the trunk toan up position so that a full length of the truck bed is available foruse.

The method may further comprise a step of collapsing upper and lowertelescoping sections of the trunk. The collapsing step may include thestep of lifting the lower section into the upper section.

The method may further comprise a step of pivoting a bottom wall and afront wall upon each other under a cover of the trunk.

The sliding step may include a step of traversing a tongue of the trunkwithin elongate grooves of rails attached to left and right sidewalls ofthe bed of the truck.

In another aspect, a truck with a truck bed convertible into a trunk isdisclosed. The truck may comprise the truck bed, a tonneau cover, adriver side rail, a passenger side rail and a container. The truck bedmay define a front wall, a passenger side sidewall, a driver sidesidewall and a tailgate pivotable between an opened position and aclosed position. The tonneau cover may be pivoted and attached to aforward portion of the truck bed closer to the front wall than thetailgate. The tonneau cover may be pivoted between an opened up positionand a closed down position. The driver side rail may be attached to andextend horizontally along the driver side sidewall. The passenger siderail may be attached to and extend horizontally along the passenger sidesidewall. The container may extend across a width of the truck bed andbe slidably attached to the driver side and passenger side rails so thatthe container is slidable along a length of the bed and securable in atleast two different positions.

The container may define an upper edge that is vertically higher than alower edge of the tonneau cover so that rain cascades down the tonneaucover and over the container. Alternatively, the container may define anupper edge below a lower edge of the tonneau cover.

The container may have stepped side walls to accommodate wheel wellsprotruding into the truck bed. The container may have a rear wall withan opening and a selectively positionable panel. The container may havefirst and second sets of slots. The first set of slots may be formed inbetween the front wall of the container and the rear wall. The secondset of slots may be formed near the rear wall to close the opening ofthe rear wall. The container may be fabricated from a rigid or resilientmaterial.

The tonneau cover may extend from the front wall to the tailgate tocover the entire truck bed.

The driver side rail and the passenger side rail may be attached tointerior sides of the driver side sidewall and the passenger sidesidewall.

Opposed sides of the container may be received into the driver side andpassenger side rails so that the container may be traversed horizontallywithin the truck bed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features and advantages of the various embodimentsdisclosed herein will be better understood with respect to the followingdescription and drawings, in which like numbers refer to like partsthroughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a first embodiment of the trunk traversed to a backposition;

FIG. 2 illustrates the trunk with a lid and tailgate in an openposition;

FIG. 2A illustrates an exploded view of the trunk shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 3 illustrates the trunk traversed to a front position with the lidin the open position;

FIG. 4 illustrates the trunk shown in FIG. 3 with a back panel formingan enclosed space;

FIG. 5 illustrates the trunk shown in FIG. 4 with the lid in a closedposition;

FIG. 6 illustrates a second embodiment of the trunk traversed to a backposition;

FIG. 7 illustrates the trunk with the lid and the tailgate in the openposition;

FIG. 7A illustrates an exploded view of the trunk shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 8 illustrates the trunk in a collapsed position;

FIG. 9 illustrates the trunk shown in FIG. 8 traversed to a frontposition;

FIG. 10 illustrates the trunk shown in FIG. 9 with a back panel mountedthereto to form the enclosed space;

FIG. 11 illustrates the trunk with the lid in a closed position;

FIG. 12 is a third embodiment of the trunk traversed to a back position;

FIG. 13 illustrates the trunk with the lid and the tailgate in the openposition;

FIG. 13A illustrates an exploded view of the trunk shown in FIG. 13;

FIG. 14 illustrates a bottom panel being folded upward to traverse thetrunk in an undeployed state;

FIG. 15 illustrates the trunk with a front panel being folded upward totraverse the trunk in the undeployed state;

FIG. 16 illustrates the trunk being traversed to the front position;

FIG. 17 illustrates the trunk with the front panel being unfolded totraverse the trunk in the deployed state;

FIG. 18 illustrates the trunk with the bottom panel being unfolded totraverse the trunk in the deployed state;

FIG. 19 illustrates a back panel being mounted to the trunk to form theenclosed space;

FIG. 20 illustrates the trunk with the lid in the closed position;

FIG. 21 illustrates the trunk in the undeployed state mounted to a roofof a cab of a truck;

FIG. 22 illustrates the trunk shown in FIG. 21 with the lid in an upposition;

FIG. 23A illustrates a locking mechanism of the lid;

FIG. 23B illustrates the locking mechanism shown in FIG. 23Aincorporated into the trunk and bed of the truck;

FIG. 24 is an exploded perspective view of the third embodiment of thetrunk and the trunk liner;

FIG. 25 illustrates the trunk liner inserted into the trunk shown inFIG. 24;

FIG. 26 illustrates the trunk liner being folded along with the trunk;

FIG. 27 illustrates a fourth embodiment of the trunk in combination witha tonneau cover;

FIG. 28 illustrates the trunk shown in FIG. 27 with the tonneau cover ina raised position and a partition disposed against the front wall of atrunk container;

FIG. 29 illustrates the trunk shown in FIG. 28 with the partitiondisposed in a middle of the trunk container;

FIG. 30 illustrates the trunk container traversed to a back positionwith the partition removed from the trunk container;

FIG. 31 illustrates the trunk container in the back position with thepartition installed at a rear position of the trunk container; and

FIG. 32 is an enlarged view of the trunk container and the tonneaucover.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to the drawings, a trunk 10, 12, 14, 300 for a bed 16 ofthe truck 18 is shown in FIGS. 2A, 7A 13A and 28. The trunk 10, 12, 14,300 provides an isolated space within the bed 16 of the truck 18 in thatvarious panels of the trunk 10, 12, 14, 300 provide a barrier fromsurfaces of the bed 16 of the truck 18 so that objects (e.g., groceries)may be placed in the trunk 10, 12, 14, 300 and protected from dirt onthe surfaces of the bed 16 of the truck 18. The trunk 10, 12, 14 may bepositioned in a back position, as shown in FIGS. 1, 6, 12 and 31.Alternatively, the trunk 10, 12, 14 may also be horizontally traversedto a front position as shown in FIGS. 5, 11, 20 and 28. The trunk 10,12, 14, 300 may be easily traversed between the front and back positionsso that great strength is not required to reconfigure the position ofthe trunk 10, 12, 14, 300 within the truck bed 16. Weaker people mayreconfigure the trunk 10, 12, 14, 300 between the front and backpositions without assistance or help from another person. Additionally,in both the front and back positions, the trunk 10, 12, 14, 300 mayprovide an enclosed space that may be locked to provide security foritems placed within the enclosed space. Additionally, in FIGS. 27-32,the trunk 300 may comprise a tonneau cover 302 and a trunk container304.

Referring now more particularly to FIGS. 1-6, the trunk 10 may behorizontally slidable and mounted to the left and right rails 20, 22(see FIG. 2A) that are attached to upper lips 24, 26 of left and rightside walls 28, 30. The trunk 10 may be traversed to the back position sothat groceries 32 and other items may be easily placed in the trunk 10(see FIG. 2) and retrieved therefrom. To open the trunk 10, the user maylift up a lid 34 of the trunk 10 and/or pull down a tailgate 36 of thetruck bed 16. The trunk 10 may also be easily traversed to the frontposition by sliding the trunk 10 in a horizontal direction 40 (see FIG.3) toward the cab 38 of the truck 18. When the trunk 10 is in the frontposition, panel 42 may be removed from an underside of the lid 34 andfixed in place in order to form the enclosed space of the trunk 10 asshown in FIG. 4. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 3, the back panel 42may remain secured under the lid 34 and the lid 34 flipped up so that amotorcycle 88 may be loaded onto the bed 16 of the truck 18 therebyutilizing a full length of the truck bed 16.

The trunk 10 may include a front panel 44, a bottom panel 46, left andright sections 48, 50, the lid 34 and the back panel 42 as shown in FIG.2. The bottom panel 46 may be rigidly fixed to the front panel 44. Theleft and right sections 48, 50 may be identical but mirror images ofeach other and have a step 52, 54 that accommodates the left and rightwheel wells 56, 58 of the truck bed 16 so that the trunk 10 may beeasily traversed between the front and back positions without having tovertically lift the trunk 10 over the wheel wells 56, 58 of the truckbed 16. The bottom panel 46 may be disposed close to but not in contactwith a floor 60 (see FIG. 2A) of the truck bed 16 so that the trunk 10may easily slide in the horizontal direction. The left and rightsections 48, 50 have steps 52, 54. The steps 52, 54 are positioned abovethe highest point 62 of the wheel wells 56, 58. The highest point of thewheel well 58 is not shown but is identical to the highest point 62 ofthe wheel well 56.

The trunk 10 may be horizontally slidable and mounted to the left andright side walls 28, 30 of the truck bed 16. In particular, left andright rails 20, 22 of the trunk 10 may be fixedly secured to the upperlips 24, 26 of the left and right side walls 28, 30 of the truck bed 16.In order to secure the left and right rails 20, 22 to the upper lips 24,26 of the left and right side walls 28, 30 of the truck bed 16, the leftand right rails 20, 22 may be bolted to the upper lips 24, 26 of theleft and right side walls 28, 30. Alternatively, the left and rightrails 20, 22 may have enlarged nubs 64 that fit within the keyholeshaped slot 66 formed in the upper lips 24, 26 of the left and rightside walls 28, 30. The left and right sections 48, 50 may have tongues68, 70 that fit within the grooves 72, 74 of the left and right rails20, 22. Preferably, the tongues 68, 70 and the grooves 72, 74 may have awedge-shaped configuration that slideably mates with each other.Moreover, the grooves 72, 74 may optionally have ball bearings that helpto support the trunk 10 and to allow convenient and easy horizontaltraversal of the trunk 10 between the back and front positions on therails 20, 22.

The left and right sections 48, 50 may have a cross-sectionalconfiguration that conforms to a cross-sectional inner profile of theleft and right side walls 28, 30 including its wheel wells. In thisregard, the left and right sections 48, 50 may be close to but do notcontact the left and right side walls 28, 30 and the wheel wells 56, 58of the truck bed 16 to allow for horizontal traversal of the trunk 10between the front and back positions without vertical lifting ortraversal of the trunk 10.

The trunk 10 may be secured in the front or back positions by way of aset screw 76. When the trunk 10 is in the back position, the set screws76 are engaged in the holes 78. The set screws 76 push down andfrictionally engage the tongues 68, 70 to prevent movement of the trunk10. When the trunk 10 is in the front position, the set screws 76 areengaged in the holes 80. The set screws 76 push down and frictionallyengage the tongues 68, 70 of the trunk 10 to prevent horizontal movementof the trunk 10. Alternatively or additionally, a detent may beincorporated into the trunk 10 and rails 20, 22. The detent may beoperative to lock the trunk 10 in either the back position or the frontposition.

To install the trunk 10 to the truck bed 16, the left and right rails20, 22 are attached to the left and right side walls 28, 30 of the truckbed 16. As discussed above, there are at least two methods of attachingor fixedly securing the left and right rails 20, 22 to the side walls28, 30. In particular, the keyhole shaped slot 66 may be formed in theupper lips 24, 26 of the truck bed 16. These keyhole shaped slotsreceive nubs 64 of the left and right rails 20, 22. The nubs 64 areinserted into the keyhole shaped slot and secured thereto in order tofix the left and right rails 20, 26. Alternatively, the left and rightrails 20, 22 may be bolted to the upper lips 24, 26 of the left andright side walls 28, 30. The left and right rails 20, 22 have grooves72, 74. These grooves 72, 74 are directed inwardly toward the center ofthe bed 16 of the truck. These grooves 72, 74 may run the entire lengthor a substantial portion of the length of the truck bed 16 so that thetrunk 10 may be traversed horizontally between the front and backpositions without having to lift the trunk 10 vertically. As shown anddescribed, the grooves 72, 74 formed on the left and right rails 20, 22which receive the tongues 68, 70 of the trunk 10. However, the oppositesituation is contemplated in that the grooves 72, 74 may be formed onthe trunk 10 which receives tongues 68, 70 formed in the rails 20, 22along the length of the rails 20, 22.

Before tightening the left and right rails 20, 22 to the upper lips 24,26 of the left and right side walls 28, 30, the left and right rails 20,22 may be slightly loose so as to be capable of rattling. In this state,the tongues 68, 70 of the trunk 10 may be inserted into the respectivegrooves 72, 74 of the left and right rails 20, 22. With the tongues 68,70 disposed within the grooves 72, 74, the left and right rails 20, 22may now be adjusted and tightened onto the upper lips 24, 26 of the leftand right side walls 28, 30.

The tongues 68, 70 are linearly traversable within the grooves 72, 74 toallow the trunk 10 to be horizontally traversable between the front andback positions. By being horizontally traversable, a person that mightnot be that strong may easily move the trunk 10 between the front andback positions depending on the desired use or nonuse of the trunk 10.If the trunk 10 is in the back position, the user may use the trunk 10as a normal place to carry his or her groceries. If the trunk 10 is inthe front position, then the user may use the trunk 10 similar to atoolbox. Alternatively, the lid 34 of the trunk 10 may be disposed inthe up position so that the user may place a motorcycle 88 in the bed 16of the truck as shown in FIG. 3.

The lid 34 of the trunk 10, 12, 14 is lockable in the down position (seeFIG. 1). Referring to FIG. 23A, B, the lid 34 may have a mechanism 82with arms 84 that may extend under the upper lips 24, 26 of the left andright sidewalls 28, 30 to lock the lid 34 in the down position. In orderto traverse the lid 34 to the up position (see FIG. 2), the user turns alock 86 in the counterclockwise direction so that the arms 84 may clearthe lips 24, 26 of the side walls 28, 30. The lid 34 may then be pivotedupward to the up position and may be locked or supported in the upposition by shocks 134. The lid 34 is pivotable about an upper edge ofthe front panel 44.

FIG. 1 illustrates a trunk 10 installed on the truck bed 16 with thetrunk 10 in the back position. The trunk 10 is used to isolate thingssuch as grocery bags from the soiled surfaces of the truck bed 16 sothat things such as grocery bags do not become soiled by the dirt on thesurfaces of the truck bed. The trunk 10 may be opened in one of twoways, namely, by lifting up the lid 34 or pulling down the tailgate 36of the truck bed 16. To move the trunk 10 from the back position to thefront position, the user releases the trunk 10 either by loosening setscrews 76 or releasing detents. The trunk 10 is traversed forward in thedirection of arrow 40 and locked into place with set screws 76 ordetent. In the front position, the trunk 10 may be moved out of the wayby simply lifting the lid 34 as shown in FIG. 3. In this manner, amotorcycle 88 may be loaded and transported in the bed 16 of the truck18. Alternatively, the trunk 10 may form an enclosed space by removingthe back panel 42 and engaging the back panel 42 to the bottom panel 46and the left and right sections 48, 50, as shown in FIG. 4. To removethe back panel 42 from the lid 34, straps 90 under the lid 34 with hooksand loops may be released. The back panel 42 may be secured to thebottom panel 46 and the left and right sections 48, 50 via means knownin the art or developed in the future. The lid 34 may extend beyondupper edges of the front panel 44, back panel 42 and left and rightsections 48, 50 so that rainwater does not enter the enclosed space ofthe trunk 10. Moreover, other water sealing or water proofing methodsthat are known in the art or developed in the future may be incorporatedinto the trunk 10.

Referring now the FIGS. 6-11, a second embodiment of the trunk 12 isshown. The trunk 12 is identical to the trunk 10 except that the trunk12 has upper and lower telescoping sections 100, 102. Additionally, thetrunk 12 does not have steps in the left and right sections as in thetruck embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-6 to allow for the wheel wells of thetruck bed 16.

The trunk 12 may be disposed either in front of or behind the wheelwells 56, 58 of the truck bed 16 since the left and right sections 48 a,50 a are not contoured to the corresponding shape of the wheel wells 56,58. Rather, the left and right sections 48 a and 50 a are verticallyflat. The trunk 12 provides more room in the width direction of theenclosed space since the left and right sections 48, 50 do not have thesteps 52, 54 as in trunk 10.

The trunk 12 is traversable between the front and back positions asshown in FIGS. 6 and 11. The trunk 12 is traversed in the horizontaldirection when traversed between the front and back positions so that amother or a person that does not have great strength may reconfigure thetrunk 12 as needed either for storing things such as groceries orreconfiguring the trunk 12 so that a motorcycle may be loaded on thetruck bed 16. In order to traverse the trunk 12 between the front andback positions, the lower section 102 must be collapsed into the uppersection 100, as shown in FIG. 8. By doing so, the lower section 102clears the wheel wells 56, 58 of the truck bed 16 so that the trunk 12may be horizontally traversed to the front position, as shown in FIG. 9.The same is also true when the trunk 12 is traversed from the frontposition to the back position. The lower section 102 must be raised andcollapsed into the upper section 100 so that the lower section 102clears the wheel wells 56, 58 of the truck bed 16 when traversing thetrunk 12 between the front and back positions.

The lid 34 may be larger than the upper section 100 and the lowersection 102 may be slightly smaller than the upper section 100. Whenwater that falls on the lid 34 the water cascades onto the upper section100, and in turn cascades onto the lower section 102. In this manner,the trunk 12 does not collect water in the enclosed space. Water alsocascades off of the lid 34 and onto the tailgate of the truck bed 16since the lid 34 extends over the tailgate as shown in FIG. 6. Theoversized nature of the lid 34 is also incorporated into the trunks 10,14.

The upper and lower sections 100, 102 may be fabricated from left andright panels 104, 106, 108, 110. The left and right panels 104, 106,108, 110 are attached to front panel's 112, 114 of the upper and lowersection 100, 102. As discussed above, the lower section 102 slides upand down within the upper section 100. The lower section 102 may slidewithin the upper section 100 via various means such as but not limitedto rails, tongue and groove connections, gear and pinion, etc. Moreover,the lower section 102 may be traversable between an up position whereinthe lower section 102 is collapsed into the upper section 100 or downposition wherein the lower section 102 is extended away from the uppersection 100 to form an enlarged enclosed space.

The lower section 102 may be retained in the up or down positions with aclamp or detent mechanism known in the art or developed in the future.

Additionally, when the trunk 12 is disposed in the front position asshown in FIG. 10, a back panel 42 a may be removed from the underside ofthe lid 34 by undoing straps 92 a. The straps 92 a may be lined withhook and loop fasteners which are removed in order to release the backpanel 42 a from the lid 34. The back panel 42 a mounts onto the uppersection 102 and/or the lower section 100 in order to form the enclosedspace of the trunk 12. The back panel 42 a is shown as being short inorder to fit on the trunk 12 when the lower section 102 is collapsedinto the upper section 100. However, it is also contemplated that theback panel 42 a may be taller so that the back panel 42 a may fit ontothe trunk 12 when the lower section 102 is in the down position and thetrunk 12 is in the front position. When the back panel 42 a is mountedto the trunk 12, the back panel 42 a may form the enclosed space withinthe trunk 12. The back panel 42 a may extend from the bottom panel tothe lid 34 when closed. The lower section 102 is shown as being in theup position when the trunk 12 is in the front position. However, it isalso contemplated that the lower section 102 may be in either the up ordown positions when the trunk 12 is in the front position.

When the trunk is in the back position as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, theuser has an option of either creating a larger enclosed space bypositioning the lower section 102 in the down position or creating asmaller enclosed space by traversing the lower section 102 to the upposition, as shown in FIG. 8. Likewise, when the trunk 12 is in thefront position as shown in FIG. 10, the user may create a smallerenclosed space by traversing the lower section 102 to the up positionand fitting the back panel 42 a as shown in FIG. 10. Alternatively, theuser may remove the back panel 42 a and secure it 42 a to the undersideof the lid 34 and draw the lower section 102 to the down position. Withthe lid 34 pivoted upward as shown in FIG. 10, the user may load amotorcycle onto the bed 16 of the truck 18. Alternatively, the trunk 12may be provided with two different back panels 42 a. These two differentback panels 42 a may be a short back panel 42 a wherein the short backpanel 42 a mounts to the trunk 12 when the lower section 102 is disposedin the up position. The larger of the two back panels 42 a may bemounted to the trunk 12 when the lower section 102 is disposed in thedown position. In this regard, the trunk 12 is capable of providing alarger or smaller enclosed space.

Referring now to FIGS. 12-22, the trunk 14 is illustrated. The trunk 14is identical to trunk 10 except in the following manner. The trunk 14 istraversable between front and back positions as shown in FIGS. 12 and 20when deployed. The trunk 14 also has various stowaway configurationsshown in FIGS. 15, 16 and 20. In FIG. 15, the trunk 14 is beingtransitioned to an undeployed state wherein the lid 34 is secured to theupper lips 24, 26 of the left and right side walls 28, 30 of the truckbed 16. Objects may be slid under the undeployed trunk 12 that can fitthrough opening 130.

FIG. 16 illustrates the undeployed trunk 12 being traversed to the frontposition. The trunk 12 may be locked to the front position in theundeployed position so that objects may be placed at the rear of thetruck bed 16, if desired. Similarly, objects can be slid under theundeployed trunk 12. Moreover, if desired, the trunk 12 in itsundeployed state may be mountable to a rooftop 132 of the cab 38 of thetruck 18 so that the user may have full access to the entire area of thetruck bed 16.

More particularly, the trunk 14 may be pivotally secured to the bed 16in either the front or back positions, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 18 aswell as on the roof 132 of the cab 38 shown in FIG. 22. The lid 34 maybe held in the up position by way of shocks 134. The shocks 134 have anextended position shown in FIGS. 13 and 18. In the extended position,the shocks 134 lift the lid 34 upward a sufficient distance so that amotorcycle may be disposed in the trunk 14 or the truck bed 16. In ahalf extended position, as shown in FIG. 22, the lid 34 functions as aspoiler. As such, the shocks 134 pivot the lid 34 upwards a bit alongits front edge in order to create downward pressure as the truck 18moves forward. When the trunk 14 is disposed at either the front or backpositions, the shocks 134 are pivotally secured to both the lid 34 andthe upper lips 24, 26 of the left and right side walls 28, 30 of thetruck bed 16. When the lid 34 is pivoted downward, the shocks 134collapse to allow for the pivoting motion of the lid 34.

The trunk 14 may have a front panel 150, bottom panel 152 and a backpanel 154. The front panel 115 is pivotally attached to a front of thelid 134 so that the front panel 150 may be folded under the lid 34.Additionally, the bottom panel 152 is pivotally attached to a lower edgeof the front panel 150. Moreover, the bottom panel 152 and the backfront panel 150 may be folded under the lid 34 and locked in position inorder to have full access to the truck bed 16 as described above.Additionally, the bottom panel 152 may additionally have left and rightrelief panels 156, 158 that accommodate the wheel wells 56, 58. When thetrunk 14 is in the back position, the relief panels 156, 158 areco-planer with a bottom panel 152. However, when the trunk 14 is in thefront position, the relief panels 156, 158 may be pitched upward againstthe wheel wells 56, 58, as shown in FIG. 18. In the back position, thetailgate forms an enclosed space of the trunk 14. In the front position,the back panel 154 may be removed from the underside of the lid 34 byundoing the straps 92 and securing the back panel 154 to the bottompanel 152 in the left and right side walls 28, 30.

In all of the trunks 10, 12, 14 described herein, the lid 34 may haveleft and right grooves 94, 96. These grooves 94, 96 receive the upperlips 24, 26 of the left and right side walls 28, 30 so that water thatdrips on the lid 34 cascades off of the trunk 10, 12, 14 and onto theside walls 28, 30 of the truck bed 16. Moreover, the back side of thetrunk 10, 12, 14 may have a skirt 98 that overhangs the tailgate of thetruck bed 16 so that water that drips on the trunk 14 cascades over thelid 34 and onto the tailgate in order to create a water resistantenclosed space within the trunk 10, 12, 14.

The trunks 10, 12, 14 may all define a length 200 which is less than alength 202 of the truck bed 16. The length 202 of the truck bed 16 maybe between about 70 inches to about 105 inches. The length 200 of thetrunk 10, 12, 14 may be about one half or less of the length 202 of thetruck bed 16. Preferably, the length 200 of the trunk 10, 12, 14 may beabout 20 inches to about 35 inches.

The trunks 10, 12, 14 may be fabricated from various materials includingbut not limited to carbon fiber, injection molded plastic, metal,aluminum, steel and other materials known in the art or developed in thefuture that is resistant to degradation from UV rays and environmentalpressures such as rain, wind and dust.

The trunks 10, 12, 14 all define an enclosed space within the variouspanels and the lid 34. It is also contemplated that the enclosed spacemay be sealed from the environment with weatherstripping, gasket andother sealants to prevent water from entering the enclosed space whenraining.

Referring now to FIGS. 24-26, a barrier 250 is shown. The barrier 250 isshown as being used in conjunction with trunk 14. However, the barrier250 may also be used in conjunction with trunks 10, 12. As shown in FIG.25, the barrier 250 may be inserted into the enclosed space defined bythe trunk 14. The barrier 250 may have left and right side walls 252,254 and front wall 256 as well as bottom floor 258. The barrier 250 maybe fabricated from an elastomeric material to allow the barrier 250 tocollapse or be folded as shown in FIG. 26 which illustrates the trunk 14being traversed to the undeployed state. As shown in FIGS. 24 and 25,the left and right side walls 252, 254 may have a diagonal crease 260.When the bottom panel 152 is pivotted upward as shown in FIG. 26, theleft and right side walls 252, 254 bend at the diagonal crease 260 toallow the barrier 250 to fold into a flat configuration so that thetrunk 14 may be traversed to the undeployed state as shown in FIGS. 16and 21.

Referring now to FIGS. 27-32, the trunk 300 is shown as beinghorizontally traversable and mountable to left and right rails 320, 322(see FIG. 28) that are attached to interior surfaces 306, 308 of theleft and right side walls 28, 30 of the truck bed. The trunk 300comprises the tonneau cover 302 and the trunk container 304. Toreconfigure the trunk 300, the user may traverse the trunk container 304to the front position shown in FIG. 28 or to the back position shown inFIGS. 30 and 31. To do so, the trunk container 304 rides on the left andright rails 320, 322. The trunk container 304 may have left and rightmale members that engage the left and right rails 320, 322. In FIG. 32,only the passenger side male member 324 is shown to mates with the leftrail 320. However, the driver side also has a driver side male memberthat slideably mates with the right rail 322. To access the trunkcontainer 304, the user may lift the tonneau cover 302 to the upposition shown in FIG. 28. To close the trunk, the user closes thetonneau cover 302 as shown in FIG. 27. In either of the front and backpositions, a partition 310 may be placed against a front wall 312 of thetrunk container 304 as shown in FIG. 28. The front wall 312 is coveredby the partition 310 and cannot be seen in FIG. 28 but is visible inFIGS. 29, 30 and 31. The partition 310 may also be placed in the middleof the trunk container 304 (see FIG. 29) as well as at a back side ofthe trunk container 304 as shown in FIG. 31.

The partition 310 may be secured to the front middle or back side of thetrunk container 304 by way of grooves 314 formed by feet 316 wherein thegroove 314 is defined by the feet 316. The feet 316 may be placed atvarious positions along the panels of the trunk container 304. The feet316 may be placed on both the left and right sides of the trunkcontainer 304 so that the grooves 314 formed by the feet 316 can supportthe left and right sides of the partition 312. The partition 312 may beinserted into the grooves 314 from the top side of the feet. Toreposition the partition 310, the user lifts the partition 310 out ofone set of grooves/feet 316 and drops the partition 310 into another setof grooves/feet 316. By doing so, the size of the enclosure defined bythe trunk container 304, partition 310 and the tonneau cover 302 isenlarged or reduced as desired by the user. The partition 310 is heldvertically in place at the front and back of the trunk container 304with the aid of the feet 316 and the front wall 312 or the back lip.

The left and right sections 348, 350 may be identical but mirror imagesof each other and have a step 352, 354 that accommodates the left andright wheel wells 56, 58 of the truck bed so that the trunk container304 may be easily traversed between the front and back positions withouthaving to vertically lift the trunk 10 over the wheel wells 56, 58 ofthe truck bed 16. The bottom panel 346 may be disposed close to but notin contact with a floor 60 of the truck bed 16 so that the trunkcontainer may easily slide in the horizontal direction. The steps 352,354 may be positioned above the highest point 62 of the wheel wells 56,58. The highest point of the wheel wells 58 is not shown but isidentical to the highest point 62 (see FIG. 2A) of the wheel well 56.

The trunk container 304 may be horizontally slidable and mounted to theleft and right side walls 28, 30 of the truck bed. In particular leftand right rails 320, 322 may be fixedly secured to interior surfaces306, 308 of the left and right side walls 28, 30 of the truck bed 16.Preferably, the left and right side rails 320, 322 are positionedparallel and level with the floor 60 of the truck bed. In order tosecure the left and right rails 320, 322 to the interior surfaces 304,306 of the left and right side walls 28, 30 of the truck bed 16, theleft and right rails 320, 322 may be bolted to the interior surfaces306, 308 of the left and right side walls 28, 30. Alternatively, theleft and right rails 320, 322 may have enlarged nubs that fit withinkeyhole shaped slots formed in the interior surfaces 306, 308 of theleft and right side walls 28, 30. The left and right sections may havetongues 324 that fit within the grooves 326 of the left and right rails320, 322. Preferably the tongues 324 and the grooves of the rails 320,322 may have a wedge shaped configuration (see FIG. 32) that slidablymates with each other. In order to dispose the tongues 324 into thegrooves 326 of the left and right rails 320, 322, the rails 320, 322 maybe mounted to the left and right side walls of the truck bed. With thetailgate open, the trunk container 304 is inserted into the truck bedfrom the rear of the truck bed so that tongues 324 can slide into thegrooves 326 of the left and right rails 320, 322.

Moreover, the grooves 326 may optionally have ball bearings that help tosupport the trunk container 304 and to allow convenient and easyhorizontal traversal of the trunk container 304 between the back andfront positions on the rails 320, 322.

The left and right sections 348, 350 may have cross-sectionalconfiguration that conforms to a cross-sectional inner profile of theleft and right side walls 28, 30 including its wheel wells 56, 58. Inthis regard, the left and right sections 348, 350 may be close to butnot in contact with the left and right side walls 28, 30 and the wheelwells 56, 58 of the truck bed to allow for horizontal traversal of thetrunk container 304 between the front and back positions withoutvertically lifting or traversal of the trunk.

The trunk may be secured in the front and back positions by way of a setscrew. When the trunk is in the back position the set screws are engagedin the holes. The set screw is pushed down and frictionally engages thetongues to prevent movement of the truck. When the trunk is in the frontposition, the set screws are engaged in the holes. The set screws pushdown and frictionally engage tongues of the trunk container 304 toprevent horizontal movement of the trunk container 304. Alternatively oradditionally, a detent may be incorporated into the trunk container 304and the rails 320, 322. The detent may be operative to lock the trunkcontainer 304 in either the back position or the front position.

The trunk 300 was described as having the tongues 324 mounted to thetrunk container 304 and mating left and right rails 320, 322 havinggrooves 326. However, it is also contemplated that the reverseconfiguration may be implemented. In particular, the grooves 326 may beformed in the members 324 that are attached to the trunk container 304and the left and right rails 320, 322 may have tongues that are receivedinto the grooves formed in the members 324.

To install the trunk container 304 to the truck bed 16, the left andright rails 320, 322 may be attached to the left and right side walls28, 30 of the truck bed 16. As discussed above, there are at least twomethods of attaching or fixedly securing the left and right rails 320,322 to the side walls 28, 30. In particular, the keyhole shaped slotsmay be formed in the interior surfaces 306, 308 of the truck bed 16.These keyhole shaped slots receive nubs of the left and right rails 320,322. The nubs are inserted into keyhole shaped slot and secured theretoin order to fix the left and right rails 320, 322. Alternatively, theleft and right rails 320, 322 may be bolted to the interior surfaces306, 308 of the left and right side walls 28, 30. The left and rightrails 320, 322 may have grooves 326. These grooves 326 may be directedinwardly toward the center of the bed of the truck. These grooves mayrun the entire length or a substantial portion of the length of thetruck bed so that the truck container 304 may be traversed horizontallybetween front and back positions without having to lift the trunkcontainer 304 vertically. As shown and described, the groove formed onthe left and right rails 320, 322 receive the tongues of the trunkcontainer 304.

Before tightening the left and right rails 320, 322 to the interiorsurfaces 306, 308 of the left and right side walls 28, 30, the left andright rails 320, 322 may be slightly loose so as to be capable ofrattling. In this state, the tongues 324 of the trunk container 304 maybe inserted into respective grooves of the left and right rails 320,322. With the tongues disposed within the grooves, the left and rightrails 320, 322 may now be adjusted and tightened onto the interiorsurfaces 306, 308 of the left and right side walls 28, 30.

The tongues may be linearly traversable within the grooves to allow thetrunk container 304 to be horizontally traversable between front andback positions. By being horizontally traversable, a person that may notbe that strong may easily move the trunk container between the front andback positions depending on the desired use of the trunk container 304.If the trunk container is in the back position, then the user may usethe trunk container 304 as a normal place to carry groceries. If thetrunk container 304 is in the front position, then the user may use thetrunk container 304 similar to a toolbox. In this fourth embodiment, thetop of the trunk container 304 is covered by way of the tonneau cover302. The tonneau cover 302 extends the full length of the truck bed sothat regardless of the position of the trunk container 304, the top ofthe trunk container 304 covers the trunk container 304 when the tonneaucover 302 is in the down position.

In operation, the trunk container 304 is locked either to the backposition or the front position. If the user wants to segregate a portionof the truck bed into a smaller area to form a trunk 300, the user liftsthe partition 310 and either disposes the partition in the middle or inthe back side of the trunk container 304 by engaging the partition 310into the respective grooves. To close the trunk 300, the user traversesthe tonneau cover 302 to the down position. To access the trunk 300, theuser traverses the tonneau cover 302 to the up position. In this regard,the trunk 300 is versatile in that it utilizes existing tonneau covers302.

The tonneau cover 302 may be a tonneau cover sold in the marketcurrently or developed in the future. The trunk container 304 isdisposed below the tonneau cover 302 so that the trunk container 304operates in conjunction with tonneau covers 302 sold in the marketplacecurrently. The tonneau cover 302 shown in the drawings is one where thecover 302 is pivoted up and down at a hinge located adjacent to the cabof the truck. In the down position, the cover 302 closes the bed area ofthe truck and also closes off access to the truck trunk except throughthe tailgate when the partition 310 is in place. In the up position, thetruck trunk is accessible through the top of the bed area. The tonneaucover 302 shown in the drawings are shown as being disposed above theleft and right sidewalls of the truck bed. However, other types oftonneau covers 302 are also contemplated and may be used in conjunctionwith the trunk container 304. By way of example and not limitation, thetrunk container 304 may be used in conjunction with ROLL COVERS sold byTRUCK COVERS USA of San Diego, Calif. or a BAKFLIP sold by AMAZING TRUCKACCESSORIES LP of Conroe, Tex. In these alternative types of tonneaucovers, the covers are flush or below the upper surfaces of the left andright sidewalls of the truck bed.

The tonneau cover 302, partition 310 and the trunk container 304 may befabricated from a generally rigid material. By way of example and notlimitation, any one of the tonneau cover 302, partition 310 and thetrunk container 304 may be fabricated from steel, aluminum, plastic,fiberglass, rubber, carbon fiber, canvas, carpet or combinationsthereof. This means that the tonneau cover 302, partition 310 and thetrunk container 304 may be fabricated from the same material (e.g., 302,304, 310 may all be fabricated from carbon fiber) or different materials(e.g., 302 may be fabricated from steel, 304 may be fabricated fromcarbon fiber, 310 may be fabricated from aluminum).

The above description is given by way of example, and not limitation.Given the above disclosure, one skilled in the art could devisevariations that are within the scope and spirit of the inventiondisclosed herein, including various ways of locking the lid 34. Further,the various features of the embodiments disclosed herein may be usedalone, or in varying combinations with each other and are not intendedto be limited to the specific combination described herein. Thus, thescope of the claims is not to be limited by the illustrated embodiments.

What is claimed is:
 1. A truck with a truck bed convertible into atrunk, the truck comprising: the truck bed defining a front wall, apassenger side sidewall, a driver side sidewall and a tailgate pivotablebetween an opened position and a closed position; a tonneau coverpivotably attached to a forward portion of the truck be closer to thefront wall than the tailgate, the tonneau cover pivotable between anopened up position and a closed down position; a container extendingacross a width of the truck bed slidably disposed within the bed so thatthe container is slidable along a length of the bed and securable in atleast two different positions, the container having a rear wall with anopening having an open top and a panel selectively positionable over theopening of the rear wall, a floor of the container being immediatelyadjacent to a floor of the truck bed, a first position of the containerbeing where a front wall of the container is immediately adjacent to thefront wall of the truck bed so that a full length of the truck bed isutilized when the panel is removed from the opening of the rear wall ofthe container.
 2. The truck of claim 1 wherein the container defines anupper edge which is disposed lower than a lower edge of the tonneaucover.
 3. The truck of claim 1 wherein the container defines an upperedge below a lower edge of the tonneau cover.
 4. The truck of claim 1wherein the container has stepped side walls to accommodate wheel wellsprotruding into the truck bed.
 5. The truck of claim 1 wherein thecontainer has first and second sets of slots, the first set of slotsformed in between the front wall of the container and the rear wall, thesecond set of slots formed near the rear wall to hold the panel forclosing the opening of the rear wall.
 6. The truck of claim 1 whereinthe tonneau extending from the front wall to the tailgate to cover theentire truck bed.
 7. The truck of claim 1 wherein the container isfabricated from a rigid material, resilient material or combinationsthereof.
 8. The truck of claim 1 wherein the tonneau cover pivots up tothe opened position and down to the closed position, rolls up to theopened position and rolls out to the closed position, or flips back tothe opened position and nips out to the closed position.
 9. The trunk ofclaim 1 further comprising: a driver side rail attached to the driverside sidewall; a passenger side rail attached to the passenger sidesidewall.
 10. The truck of claim 9 wherein the driver side rail and thepassenger side rail are attached to an interior side of the driver sidesidewall and the passenger side sidewall.
 11. The truck of claim 9wherein opposed sides of the container are received into the driver sideand passenger side rails.
 12. A trunk for a truck bed, the trunkcomprising: a driver side rail attached to and extending horizontallyalong a driver side sidewall of the truck bed; a passenger side railattached to and extending horizontally along a passenger side sidewallof the truck bed; a container extending across a width of the truck bedslidably attached to the driver side and passenger side rails so thatthe container is slidable along a length of the bed and securable in atleast two different positions, the container having a rear wall with anopening having an open top and a panel selectively positionable over theopening of the rear wall, a floor of the container being immediatelyadjacent to a floor of the truck bed, a first position of the containerbeing where a front wall of the container is immediately adjacent to thefront wall of the truck bed so that a full length of the truck bed isutilized when the panel is removed from the opening of the rear wall ofthe container; wherein the container forms an enclosure with a tonneaucover providing a top wall, the tonneau cover traversable between adeployed configuration and an opened position.
 13. The trunk of claim 12wherein the container is vertically telescoping so that the container isslidable in front of or behind wheel wells with the container enclosurevertically collapsed.
 14. The trunk of claim 12 wherein the panel isattachable to the a back side of the container when the container istraversed to a second position to form a back wall of the container, thesecond position being were the panel and the back side of the containeris immediately adjacent to tailgate of the truck bed.